What is Fanfiction?
by Fawn of the woods
Summary: THis was a school paper I found floating around my computer last night. It uses Calvin and Hobbes, Spiderman, Daredevil, Beast, Kaoru, Goofy, and a white room to discuss fanfiction.


Our task in this class was to learn about society through comics. When the professor handed out this assignment, the first thought that went through my mind is what better way to understand society through comics, than to see their reaction to various comics. Then I chose six different comics, researched them, and picked character that are both different from each other and compliment each other. The following story was written with this assignment in mind but it was written for the audience of fan fictions. Thus a few details are different from normal storytelling. Since this is a fanfic, it is unnecessary to introduce or describe characters as usually the only readers are those who have already read the comic to some extent. Also, at the end of the story there is a line and then "A/N" this stands for Author's Notes, this section is where I, as the author, explain anything I think might confuse my readers, and clarify any questions they send me. Usually a brief history of the story's origin if there is one is also explained here. This part was included because it too is an integral part of fanfics. On another side note the graphics are not part of the actual fic and are included here for the assignment. The main fic will not be published 1.5 spacing, and this fic will seem longer due to the extra space after a paragraph common to most fan fiction. I hope this tale helps to explain some views on comics.

**Fan fiction? Asks a Being**

Tokyo, 1879

Kaoru halted mid stroke and looked up. She'd been practicing her Kata in the courtyard today because there had been such gorgeous weather out. At least there was, this wind seemed to come out of nowhere. Kaoru looked up at the previously calm sky, and sighed. This type of wind could only mean a storm.

Suddenly a swirling vortex opened above her. Its gravity pulled everything towards it, including Kaoru. Kenshin, upon hearing Kaoru's cry, rounded the corner only to see her fly through the vortex before it closed.

Not a gust blew as the swordsman stood there helpless as the person he cared about disappeared.

Manhattan, 2001

Swinging through the park, our favorite Web slinger suddenly finds the hothead he'd been looking for,

"Yo Torch. How've you been?"

As the two superheroes chatted, a blind man wandered through the park. He smiled when he heard his friend conversing with the flaming boy. But it would not do for the Human Torch to find out that quiet, blind Matthew Murdock was the nighttime vigilante Daredevil.

He was about to head out when he felt a sudden change in pressure and the enormous gust of wind that followed. Whatever this meteorological disturbance, it centered approximately 2 meters above the high, and unaware, superheroes.

Matt turned and began to run towards them.

Another superhero also was frantically zooming towards the pair though his feeling was of a thing magical. Dr Strange came upon the two at precisely the same time as the frantic attorney.

Spider-man, finally noticing the weather looked around to find two of his superhero friends, albeit one not in costume, racing toward Torch and himself. He barely had time to think before a swirling vortex opened above him and began sucking in everything. Matt lost his grip on earth first and even as Spidey snagged him with a web line, the vortex pulled them both in and out of sight.

Dr Strange just turned and looked at the Human Torch in confusion.

Small town

Elsewhere in a small neighborhood, in a bedroom, there is a boy.

"Now that the dreaded Mom-Lady has left, Spaceman Spiff plans his daring escape from his prison."

Calvin begins tying his sheets together to jump out his second story window and away from the room he is supposed to be cleaning. Then his best friend enters.

"Hobbes, hurry and help me tie these sheets"

"Won't your Mom be mad if we tie all the sheets together?"

"By the time she finds out we'll be halfway to Canada and free. Hang on just one last knot" Calvin ties the last knot and they get ready to drop it out the window when a gust of wind blew a tornado in to the room, making it impossibly messier than before.

The swirling vortex threatens to suck them both up, but Calvin had tied the last sheet to Hobbes' tail, not just another sheet. Hobbes remained attached to the bedpost as he watched his friend disappear into the vortex.

Winchester

The X-men were just having a relaxing training session in the Danger room, and had just won the round when a vortex appeared,

"Is this part of the simulation?" Jubilee cried as she desperately held onto a rock.

"We need to shut this thing off" Scott shouted to Nightcrawler across the room.

Nightcrawler nodded and began to concentrate to teleport to the control room.

Suddenly Storm lost her grip and began to fling backwards towards the open vortex.

Acting suddenly Beast jumped behind her, and kicked her toward Wolverine. Beast, however, was now caught in the gravity and was sucked in even as he heard Wolverine yell his name.

Quiet village

On a jolly sidewalk by a white picket fence, three friends were walking homeward.

They were laughing about nothing and just minding their own business when a vortex appeared above them and sucked in Goofy.

Donald and Mickey turned as the heard a last "Ya-hoo-hoo-hoooooo" and Goofy disappeared.

As all six people flew through the swirling vortex they heard a voice.

"Welcome, you have been chosen for this task. You must explain Fan fiction and its relationship to your separate comics. I have given you the knowledge of your comic worlds. Your memories will be erased afterward. Now go!"

Then Beast, Calvin, Spider-man, Matt Murdock, Kaoru, and Goofy found themselves seated around a table in a white bare room.

They all looked around at each other and smiled nervously.

"Well, one must start somewhere, my name is Dr. Henry J. McCoy, but most people call me Beast." Thus said he turned to the kid next to him.

"I'm Calvin and I have a pet tiger who will rip out your hearts so better do as I say." They all just looked at him save Spidey who actually fell off the top of his chair where he had been balancing. Still chuckling he said,

"I'm the amazing Spider-man" He said with great pride. And next to him,

"My name is Matt Murdock, I am an attorney." The superhero didn't want to reveal his identity to any until he knew what they were dealing with.

"My name is Kamaya Kaoru of the Kamaya Dojo." She said as she touched the bokken still at her side even through the vortex.

"And I'm Goofy, pleased to meet you" the final member of the group said cheerfully.

"You certainly are" Beast replied in camaraderie.

"So, what you suggest we do?" Kaoru asked as they all grinned at the joke.

"We shall 'wonder on, till truth make all things plain'" Beast quoted in reply.

"Well, the definition of Fan Fiction is 'a fictional account written by a fan of a show, movie, book, or video game to explore themes and ideas that will not or cannot be explored via the originating medium; also written fan fiction, also called fanfic' from Webster's dictionary." Matt said matter-of-factly.

"Good we've defined fanfiction, and it's important to comics because it allow the reader to interact with the story, now can we go?" Spiderman said eagerly.

"'A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking' my friend. This does not mean we have explored the issue" Beast said looking at him.

"Well, maybe he doesn't have anything to say about fanfiction, after all he only has 1,285 fics on and none on any anime sites." Kaoru taunted.

"I know about fanfiction. The reason I don't have much of it is that my writers didn't stop just as the hero was beginning to like the heroine. In fact, many writers have taken up my story so I have at least four comics out currently under my name, and another two under spider-girl/woman." He replied

"Besides I-… Daredevil has less still, with only 105, that's the least here." Matt replied, breaking up the squabble.

"Indeed, however, Miss Kaoru has a point. Manga and anime do seem to have more fanfiction than us action comics."

"Perhaps this is due to them being short. They get a part of the plot done and then the author finds another storyline. Those of us in action have been around for so many years that many of our stories have been used up"

"But what about silly comics like mine?" Goofy asked.

"There's always someone with a joke out there so I imagine that's where your 875 come from. The majority of your fanfics are romance and humor with action/adventure coming in close third, but you have almost no horror or angst." Matt said thoughtfully.

"That's good. I like being positive and happy. Ya-uh." He laughed.

"What about Calvin's comics that's less than Goofy's and he has a more diverse genre?" Kaoru asked looking over at the young boy.

"Reality continues to ruin my life." He said sighing. "Alas, my life as a comic is almost over though. There's never enough time to do all you want to." He bemoaned dramatically.

"It's likely that due to the uniqueness of Calvin's author's style, fan-writers have a hard time mimicking his character."

"Blue-man's right lady, I mean your character, for example, is pretty easy to write, an-"

"Well EXCUSE ME for being predictable you Spider-thingy!"

"OOOO 'Spider-thingy' you're getting creative now" Spider-man chuckled as steam came out of Kaoru's ears.

"That's it!" She pulled a bokken from her side and attacked him with it. At least she tried to, he was sitting on the ceiling after all.

While the two went at it, rather Kaoru trying to whack Spidey and Spidey making smart-aleck remarks from the ceiling, the others started to ignore them.

"They seem to be having fun" Matt chuckled as the remainder of the group turned away.

"While Spidey May have a point, I don't believe there are any less Out Of Character (OOC) in Rurouni Kenshin that there are in our fanfics." Beast stated thoughtfully, "Different behavior tends to create more avenues for storyline, thus more stories."

"Maybe Calvin's author is too integrated into the character that no one else can reproduce the idea?"

"I like maxims that don't encourage behavior modification." Calvin informed them.

The two adults just stared at him a moment.

"Well, okay then. Another question. What about the roles our characters and friends take in fan fiction?" Matt asked, confused for a moment by Calvin's statement.

"'A rose by any other name'…?" Beast offered inquiringly.

"In this case, I don't think so." Spidey said from his corner on the ceiling. Kaoru had stopped swinging at, figuring he couldn't reach, and was sitting again eyeing him and fingering her bokken, waiting for a chance to strike. "Since the author is different from the original story, I think the name may be all the characters keep sometimes. Some of the alternate universes take place not only in other worlds but in circumstances the character wasn't written for, therefore they would have to be OOC for those stories. And yet they are popular."

"Indeed, on more than a fourth of Rurouni Kenshin are labeled as 'Alternate Universe'. Not including the one's not labeled correctly either." Beast thought aloud.

"So the characters are there in name and face only?" Calvin asked.

"But, ya know, some of them authors do try to keep the characters right-like" Goofy said.

"Some of them actually succeed" Matt thought a moment, "but then why use OOC, why not simply make up your own character?"

"Time, effort, the authors may not wish to create the entire character, description and all. This way the reader already has a basic description and personality type in mind." Spidey landed on his chair, on the opposite side of the table from Kaoru.

"SO they're lazy!" Kaoru exploded.

"No, it may be that putting in the descriptions might clog the story and create the wrong mood or they are still learning how to tell a story and are using this as a way to learn with a template. They are not just using the characters from the media, they're playing on the mood and tones of the piece." Matt argued.

"So you believe it is an artistic choice to use character names without keeping character?" Beast inquired.

"Yes, while some may use it as a method to decrease the work load, I believe it is more to capture the mood and to continue it into a new story."

"Works for me" Spidey quipped, "I mean this could be taken as a form of admiration or mimicry of an artist."

"True, you're right."

"Gotcha"

"I shall concede the point"

Kaoru, Goofy, and Calvin said, bowing to their argument

Suddenly a huge gust of wind blew through the room. The six were left to grab for the table and chairs to keep themselves from flying to the walls. Spidey ended up grabbing Calvin anyway as he was so light he couldn't keeping his grip.

"I have returned to hear your explanation. What is Fan Fiction, why is it important?"

"Hang on, I want to know who you are, and why us?" Spider-man yelled into the vortex, "and could you turn off the wind?" Kaoru had just lost her own grip and was currently held by Beast.

"I am myself, and myself I am. You were chosen because you represent the different sides of comic books. Romantic, easy-going, logic, intelligence, witticism, and hilarity are the six types of comics and characters needed for this discussion, now what is fan fiction, and is it important?" The voice spoke this as the wind died down. The vortex remained but it wasn't overpowering anymore.

"Yes fan fiction is important. It allows new writers to experiment" Beast replied

"They can keep a comic alive even if the creator doesn't" spoke Calvin.

"It allows for new circumstances, an exploration of the imagination." Kaoru called.

"Helps them focus on only one part of writing instead of trying to learn the art of plot, characters, scene, and style all at once" Matt added.

"It allows readers to enjoy more stories from more imaginations and communicate new ideas around the world" Spider-man supplied

"And its fun too ya-uh" Goofy laughed.

The room was silent.

Then a portal opened on one side of the room. They could hear voices from the other side.

"I cannot keep the portal open long, you must find him Human Torch."

"Spidey, Yo Spider-man! You in there?"

"Hey Torch, 'bout time you guys got to us." Spidey yelled back as Matt came closer.

"Is that civilian with you?" Torch called.

"Yup, we're both here" Spidey nodded to Matt, "and ready to leave."

They were momentarily distracted by another portal opening, a striped stuffed head poked his way through.

"Hey Calvin, I hope you don't mind but I modified your Transmogrifier Gun to open a portal. Come on lets go before your mom comes and sees your room." Hobbes walked all the way into the room with the water pistol in his hand.

Then the original vortex returned. "Your help in this matter is appreciated. The rest of you have friends coming as well. We shall wait for them."

Three more portals opened revealing Kenshin, Mickey, and Nightcrawler, whose portal closed with smoke as always.

Kenshin hurried to Kaoru's side, quietly asking if she was hurt.

While Kaoru reassured the swordsman, Nightcrawler went to Beast and Mickey joined Goofy, each asking for the events and their explanation.

"Now that you are all here, I am the one who brought you to this room and now,

'If we shadows have offended,  
Think but this, and all is mended:  
That you have but slumbered here,  
While these visions did appear;  
And this weak and idle theme,  
No more yielding but a dream,  
Gentles, do not reprehend.  
If you pardon, we will mend.'"

As this was intoned, those in the room felt slightly lightheaded as the memories of the past 2 hours was erased from their minds. As they traveled back through their separate portals, they could see a faint figure of a woman in the vortex smiling and waving.

* * *

**A/N** This is a story written for my college final paper on Perspectives on Comics. I haven't decided in how many categories to post it yet. I know this is quite different from my usual storylines, but it was a worthwhile experience, and an insightful one. I hadn't realized the distribution of fanfics before, even though I've been reading them for over five years.

If you don't recognize the characters here;

Kaoru- heroine in Rurouni Kenshin, her bokken is a wooden sword used for practice, I tried to find a picture online but... ??

Spider-man- Hero of Spider-man comics(Duh), there are way too many to list them all

Matt Murdock- alter-ego for Daredevil… in Daredevil comics (Again, Duh)

Calvin- Co-main character in Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson…I took the quotes from the internet though

Beast- One of the many X-Men, originally he wasn't blue but as the series evolved he became that way, Spidey, Daredevil, and beast live in the same universe and thus are aware of each others existence, Spidey, I believe actually met both of these two

Goofy- I needed a character that would represent the silly side of comics, I was actually surprised at how many fanfics there are on this character, he's part of Disney's Mickey Mouse and gang

There, I think that is all the explaining I need. I hope you enjoyed it.

Ja Ne

Bibliography

fan fiction." Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6). Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. 31 Oct. 2006. dictionary./search?r2&qfan fiction

fan fiction net: a collection of online fan fiction with well over 100,000 different pieces.

mediaminer org; a collection of fanfiction written for comics, anime, or Manga

Spiderman and Daredevil, Mcgraw Hill,New York, New York, 2001; this is a collection of comics that featured both spidey and Daredevil over the years, at my home

Watsuki, Nobuhiro. Rurouni Kenshin. Vol 1. Shonen Jump, VIZ Media, San Francisco, CA, 1994; this is the story of an assassin ten years after he gave up killing in Japan, at my home

Watterson, Bill. The Authoritative Calvin And Hobbes. Universal Press, Kansas City, NY 1990; A collections of comics from Calvin and Hobbes, including Yukon Ho! And Weirdos From Another Planet!


End file.
